


I Can Take The Pain... I Think

by EveandJohnny



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, College, F/M, Zutara, and fluff maybe?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 15:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8807053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveandJohnny/pseuds/EveandJohnny
Summary: It was Katara’s first day at a foreign university. Due to her exceptional work at her home university she had been enlisted for an exchange program which would last one semester.It would be another step away from her threatening past but then someone tears those old wounds open unintentionally.





	

 Katara stood in front of the main building, unspeakably nervous, and hardly dared to walk in. She jumped a little when someone spoke behind her.

  “I knew I would find you here. Don’t you worry, you’re gonna ace everything! And you will find friends very quickly.” Her brother Sokka, cheerful and happy-go-lucky as ever, touched her shoulder and gently guided her inside the spacious vestibule. Thankfully, Sokka had been allowed to join her although his work didn’t meet the high expectations of the commission. Katara could only speculate but maybe her dad had – no, not intervened as he was a very dutiful dean – but maybe had given a nonbinding advice.

Around them students bustled to and fro, hurrying from one wing of the enormous building to the other. Beforehand, the siblings had been given a plan of the building and she had marked the rooms for their first day. She looked at the map and then back up again, about to turn left. That’s when a cold shiver tingled her spine. Among the crowds she thought to have seen a familiar face. But she hoped to be mistaken as she actually never wanted to see that distinctive face ever again. As if to wake herself out of her thoughts, she briskly walked towards the stairs, resulting in Sokka nearly losing touch of her. 

“Hey, not that fast! We still have about fifteen minutes until the meeting starts” Sokka complained.

She checked her watch and immediately doubled her speed because, in fact, there were only five minutes left. With the ring of the bell marking the beginning of lectures they arrived at the room, the door still open and everyone still in trouble to find a seat. They slipped in and caught two seats in the first row. A tall and large lady got up from behind a computer desk, clapped her hands and smiled in a motherly fashion.

  “Welcome, welcome my dear exchange students. I find it extraordinary that you have taken the decision to study here at our excellent university and to support us with your exceeding qualities. I am Madame Amery, the consult for exchange students. Whenever you have a question you are welcome in my office. All my details like consulting hours, phone number and of course the location of my office can be found in the leaflet that accompanies your campus map. Are there any questions so far?” She looked around but everyone was too shy or overwhelmed by the whole undertaking that nobody said a word.  
   “Well, then let us quickly move on. You as students from all over the world are a special group in the dynamics of the student’s body and although I am sure that you will soon make new friends among the ‘established’ ones you will probably always feel drawn back to the people you currently share a room with because you have the same background in comparison to the other students. That’s why it is vital for you to get to know each other. I’d like you to form a circle with your chairs. We will play a little game. It will not be cheesy or childish – I have seen the looks although you thought you’d pass them in secrecy” she remarked without looking at anybody in particular. The students followed her instructions and rearranged the chairs.  
   “Now, you all are likely to know those ‘bonding’ games were balls are thrown or yarn is passed between people about to be introduced to each other. I have thought of something different. I will tell the neighbour to my right a random word. It can be anything: ‘cheese’, ‘barn’, ‘potassium permanganate’ or whatever. My neighbour then introduces themselves with their name, their age, where they are from and tells us what they associate with that specific word. Then they turn to their right and give them a word. The purpose of all this is that all of us have unique stories to tell which the brain will remember easier than just a name and a face.”  
Without letting them any time to comment or complain, she turned to her neighbour and started the game.

The introducing went on smoothly until it was Katara’s turn to receive a word. She looked anxious to the girl on her left who had said her name was Ai Ling. She finished telling her story and turned to Katara, barely looking at her. Then she uttered the word, as random as the ones before, but it made Katara’s heart skip a beat.

“Fire.”

As simple as that. Yet Katara immediately felt the heat rising in her body and how her hands began to sweat. She was thrown into a memory, years back when, by accident, a candle fell from a table in the living room, setting the cushions around the table and the wooden floor ablaze. By the time she knew what was happening she had been trapped in her room, unable to escape. In that moment she had settled her affairs and prayed to the gods for a miracle.  
  Ai Ling couldn’t have chosen a worse word. With so much as a mumbled “I’m sorry”, Katara fled the room. Everyone looked stunned at Sokka who they already managed to identify as her brother. He made a sympathetical face.

  “Katara once experienced how a house burned down.” He gave as little information as necessary without telling any lies.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t want to upset her” Ai Ling exclaimed and was about to run after her. Sokka gripped her arm.

  “Thank you for your sympathy but she is better off alone at the moment.”

Katara had run until she was stopped dead in her tracks by a giant wooden door which was sealed. She leaned against it and tried to fight off the tears and the terrifying memories.

When she gained back her composure she looked around more carefully and noticed that she was in a part of the campus she didn’t know. She checked her pockets but actually knew already that the map still lay under her chair with her belongings. Apparently this was the janitor’s section because behind a plain door that stood a little ajar she could see buckets, mops and other cleaning equipment. She tried hard to remember where that section was on the map but the parts outside the marked points blurred in her memory. Which was not very helpful. After a little more pondering she decided to walk to the next intersection, hoping that there would be any signs or a person she could ask the way.

  Because she had heard a noise behind her, she looked in that direction but continued to walk forwards. Inevitably, she hit something. Or better say someone. When she turned to apologize, her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t been mistaken in the morning. It was him. His dark hair needed a cut as it hung into his eyes. The sunlight that shone through the big windows let his light skin glow except for the reddish and pink scar that surrounded his left eye. His jaw line was even sharper than she remembered it and his lanky frame had become a little broader. He was nearly every woman’s dream. Yet she couldn’t help but remember the ugly wound right on his stomach she had seen the day after the fire. Though it had been years since then she saw everything in her memory as clear as on that fatal night.

  “Hello. Are you a new student because I haven’t seen you here before” he said with a warm tone in his voice that lacked every bit of recognition. She first thought he teased her. But when he offered her to bring her back to her room as she was obviously lost she couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of sadness that she was not more than any stranger to him.

  “Ah, yes, I’m new. I’m an exchange student and we met in Room 312 but on the way to the toilet I must have taken a wrong turn” she managed to say in an innocent tone.

  “You have come a long way then. 312 is practically on the opposite side. But don’t worry. We will be there in no time.” He walked a little ahead and when she didn’t follow he waited until she realized that he genuinely wanted to show her the way. She followed, always being one step behind him.  
  It took them a mere five minutes until they reached room 312. The students were busy talking so she assumed it would be better to just slip into the room.

  When he sensed what she was about to do he said “Don’t you want to knock? This university has made some progress in becoming less strict and more friendly. Still, it would be very impolite to not announce one’s entrance by a knock.”  
   He gave her a stern look which made her quickly take the advice. She knocked but against her fear, the students didn’t turn silent. She exhaled, relieved that her entrance wouldn’t be a spectacle. She wanted to thank him but when she turned to bide him farewell, he was already gone. Confused, she opened the door and stepped inside. The students paused for a moment to acknowledge she was okay then continued to chat. Only Madame Amery and Sokka came towards her. Sokka took her in a hard hug and Madame Amery patted her with her large hand on the back. She nodded to show that she was okay. Madame Amery took this as a sign to continue with their initiation procedure. She clapped her hands twice and the crowd went instantly quiet. 

***

When the day was over Katara was tired and just wanted to go home. She hadn’t expected – and how could she – such emotional outburst. Sokka had only reluctantly agreed to let her go home alone but she had assured him that it was okay to go for a coffee with his new found friends. She walked over the campus grounds, enjoying the warm sunlight and the blue magnolias in bloom. Ai Ling waited at the gates of campus, shyly waving at her when she came in sight.

  “Hello, er, Katara. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay and I want to apologize that I triggered you.”

The awkwardness of the other girl made her smile for the first time that day. “Thank you, Ai Ling, that is very kind of you. But you don’t need to worry, I’m okay. You couldn’t know that of all things the word ‘fire’ would trigger me.” She paused for a moment and then added “Do you maybe want to have a tea with me?”

An expression of regret appeared on Ai Ling’s face.  “Sorry, but I will be picked up by my boyfriend any minute. I’m from here, you know.”

“Oh, no, that’s alright. Maybe on another day then?”

Ai Ling nodded, now smiling broadly. “That would be wonderful! Have a save walk home, Katara.”

She watched as Ai Ling greeted her boyfriend with a kiss and waved before she walked away with him. Katara turned in the other direction where her dormitory lay. Before she reached the front door she checked her mail box. Another person appeared at the enormous number of mail boxes.

  When he recognized her he said “Oh, hello. Did you have a good introduction day?”

She inhaled sharply before she looked at him. “Hi. Yes, I had. Thus far, everyone’s very friendly.”

He smiled gently. “Pleased to hear that.”

A silence followed but it was not inconvenient. After a while she broke it by saying “I’m Katara, by the way. Thank you for helping me this morning. You were gone before I had the chance to thank you.” She herself was surprised about her bravery.

  “Nice to meet you, Katara. I’m Zuko. Sorry, I didn’t want to snub you but I had an appointment to attend. And never mind, it’s not unusual to get lost on campus. I have already guided a lot of students.”

She looked away to not show him the disappointment she felt. He still didn’t recognize her. The sensible voice in her head told her that she should be glad because that way he would never bother her with pity or treat her like she had saved his life that day. She didn’t deserve it, it told her further, because it was her fault that he had gotten injured.

  “Well, uhm, I would go home then, it has been a long day” she said, still not looking at him.

“I guess it was. Have a good night, Katara” he replied and watched her walking through the front door.


End file.
